Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 24: "Oblivious Sirius"

Harry left Ron outside the Gryffindor common room and quickly headed towards Lupin's classroom to catch his final class of the day. He'd called a Quidditch practice for before dinner owing to the upcoming match with Ravenclaw, and since what had just happened with Trelawny had left him feeling tired not only in body but in spirit as well, he regretted it. But the match was Saturday, and since it was Thursday, they really needed the practice.

He reached the classroom slightly out of breath and saw Lupin already waiting for him with the room readied and sword in hand. Harry dropped his arms dully.

"Sorry. Got tied up with Trelawny after class."

Lupin tossed him Godric Gryffindor's sword and Harry caught it easily by the hilt, immediately comfortable with its familiar weight in his hand.

"No worries," replied James easily. "She told me she'd be needing you and Ron during our first class, but I am glad you've made it for this one. Ready?"

Harry ran a hand wearily down his face and back up through his hair, shaking his head slightly to try rattling all distracting, oppressive thoughts from his head. He hefted the sword up and fixed Lupin with his best centralised stare.

"All right."

Lupin stared at him for a moment. "Want to try attacking or defending first?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Think I'll attack; get rid of some nervous energy."

"And frustration, perhaps?" said Lupin perceptively, fixing him with a gaze.

Harry sighed. Apparently there would be no fooling anyone today. "Something like that."

Lupin readied himself and took his familiar stance. "Want to talk about it later? Might help."

Harry chewed thoughtfully on the inside of his cheek for a moment. "Need to talk on it with Hermione first…but later if you're free, say eight…"

"I'm free," said Lupin as quickly as he could without sounding too excited. "Make it nine though? Full moon out tonight. Snape's been busy since yesterday brewing me a wolfsbane potion."

Harry's lips curled ironically on one side. "That might explain his particularly shitty mood today."

James laughed heartily. "Yes he does love helping me out of a good jam, doesn't he? So Potions went swimmingly, I gather?" He ended sarcastically.

"He's been right pissed off all day," said Harry a little too cheerfully. "Even took twenty points from his own house. Malfoy went spare."

Lupin barked out a laugh, and Harry dropped his sword down, joining him. He then realised abruptly that this was the first time he and his father had laughed together. Funny the things you notice when you never had them to take for granted. He wouldn't know it, but Lupin had noticed too.

They sobered quickly; business to attend to. An hour passed, and the class ended with James flat on his back, his sword in Harry's other hand, and Harry standing over him with the tip of his own blade pressed near his jugular. Nearing the end, their swords a blur of activity with the clashing and clanging of blade against blade, Harry had given James sword a powerful upward arc, wrenching it suddenly from his grasp. In mid-air, Harry had summoned it wandless to his own hand, and had knocked Lupin to the floor.

Lupin, red in the face from exertion and with sweat gleaming on his face and arms, beamed up at his son.

"Brilliant Harry."

Harry, sweating and breathing just as hard, his cheeks blotched with red and his hair wildly in disarray, lifted the tip from his fathers neck and moved backward a bit. In his left hand, he flipped James sword up to catch it by the blade and handed it back to him, hilt first.

James took it and the hand Harry offered him, pulling himself up with a grunt. "Either I'm getting rather old and feeble or you're getting really good."

"Let's hope it's the latter," began Harry without really thinking, pulling up the bottom of his button down shirt to swipe his face with it, "We'll need you when all this comes to…a head…" he trailed off, realising he'd just voiced some of his own fears.

Lupin swiped at his own brow and brought his arm down slowly, gazing at his son. He paused for a moment. "Yes. We will, won't we…"

Harry stood awkwardly for a moment before glancing up at the clock above Lupin. "Oi…I'd better get going. Got to head to the pitch for practice and then shower and meet Hermione for dinner…" he trailed off once again.

Lupin spoke quietly. "It's not easy..is it son?"

Harry stood stock still for a moment. "No it's not. I'll be to your room at nine."

Lupin nodded and watched Harry walk out, thinking to himself that Harry was living proof of the old adage "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

************************************************************

Quidditch practice went swiftly enough, and Harry left the pitch, dirty and even sweatier than before, along with Ron; both feeling great about Gryffindor's chances against Ravenclaw.

As they walked at dusk back towards the castle, Quidditch robes billowing behind them in the chilly breeze, brooms thrown carelessly over their shoulders, and boots crunching through a new layer of snow, they discussed Trelawny's latest prediction.

"Well the three links are obvious," said Ron, watching his breath meet the cold and swirl out misty white. "Damn spooky the way she called out the three of us. It's not as if she's seen what's been going on with your bit of wandless magic, or my defensive spells or 'Mione's bizarre healing…"

Harry nodded his agreement. "Just some parts of her prediction I'm stumped on… Like the part 'lest one who's worth is not yet known gives his life for his own'. What in the hell does that mean? How can one give his life for his own life? And his worth not yet known? To who? Makes no sense."

"Dunno." Ron shook his head darkly as if trying to figure it out on his own.

"Don't strain yourself," said Harry snidely.

Ron growled and pulled a punch to Harry's ribs. But neither had the desire to laugh at that particular moment.

Harry sighed as he wrenched one of the huge double-doors to the castle open allowing he and Ron to step inside. "Well, once again we head toward our 'stablest link' for answers."

"I hope she has some to give," Ron smirked half-heartedly. "See you in the Hall."

****************************************************

Harry headed toward his and Hermione's quarters and entered to find her curled on the common room couch asleep; her hand still barely curled around a half-opened book threatening to drop to the floor at any moment.

Harry smiled and shook his head, leaning his Flametorch broom against a wall. "That's my girl."

He squatted beside the couch, content for the moment to watch the shadows from the fire dance across her face. He eased the book from her grasp and closed it, laying it on the floor before brushing a hand across her cheek.

" 'Mione… Wake up sleeping beauty…"

Hermione stirred and opened blurry eyes to see Harry's face before her. Without speaking a word, the first thing she did was curl a hand round his neck and pull him in for a kiss. When they parted, she blinked and took a good look at him. He was dressed in his full game uniform, scarlet robe, elbow and knee guards as well, his hair stood in twenty different directions, he'd shoved his glasses up onto his head, and dirt mingled with sweat smudged his face. He looked wonderful.

"You smell like sweat…and grass."

"Took a few tumbles catching the snitch," Harry grinned and stood, offering her his hand. "Sorry. I'm sure I don't half stink. Left class with dad sweating and sweated even more at practice."

Hermione's jaw dropped as she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet.

"Harry!"

Harry frowned. "What? I'm going straight away to shower, I promise…"

"No!" said Hermione smiling. "You…you just said…you just called Professor Lupin your dad."

Harry looked down for a moment and mentally ran through his last two sentences. When he hit on it he looked a bit shocked as well, and scratched at his head with a bit of embarrassment.

"Er…I..guess I did, didn't I?"

Hermione sniffed to try keeping back tears. "You did."

He stared at the floor for a few moments more, unsure what to say. It didn't mean anything…did it? Except maybe I'm getting more used to the idea…or more used to him… Bloody hell, there's too much else to think on at the moment…

"Well, I'll head to the shower and then we'll meet Ron in the Hall for dinner. We've got loads to tell you," said Harry, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. As he headed towards the bathroom, he threw his cloak over the back of the couch, tore off his boots, tossed his elbow and knee pads to the floor and ripped off his shirt, leaving him clad only in the tight corduroy trousers; his broad back gleaming with sweat. Hermione gawped at him.

"T..tell me?" she managed to choke out. In those pants his arse seemed to be a wonder unto itself. She cocked her head and watched it enter the bathroom. "All right…What about?"

"Trelawny's class today," said Harry, his voice echoing from the bathroom. "She said…well, she's had another premonition, of sorts." He shut the door.

Hermione's jaw dropped and she ran to the door, knocking rapidly. "Harry, she what!? Come out! You can't just tell me something like that and leave off!"

She heard Harry turn on the shower. " 'Mione, you, Ron and I will talk on it at dinner. We need to discuss it together."

"But Ron has class with you; he knows already! Let me in there so you can fill me in…"

Harry paused for a moment and then answered brazenly. "Don't tempt me."

Harry's arse…sans pants… Hermione did her best to sound indignant. "I meant we could talk with you behind the curtain, you prat."

Harry laughed at her. "I'll be out soon, love."

Hermione huffed in annoyance and walked away to sit rather heavily on the couch, playing mental games with herself to try thinking of anything but Harry's wet body at the moment.

After a brief shower, Harry and Hermione headed toward the crowded noisy Great Hall and found Ron sitting in their usual spot near the front. They took seats opposite him and Harry began filling his plate until Hermione put a restraining hand on both their arms. Ron reluctantly lowered his forkful of bacon and pease pudding.

"All right, I want information. Now."

"Mione, I'm flippin' starved here," grumbled Ron around his first mouthful. "I need nourishment."

"Talk while you eat…" said Hermione annoyed. "For once, I'm asking you to."

Harry glanced up to see Lavender headed their way and sighed. "Ron, I know Lav's your girl, but we really need to talk the three of us alone, tonight."

"No worries," said Ron with a grimace. "I'm sure she won't be sitting with me."

Sure enough, when Lavender got nearer them, she turned up her nose at Ron without giving him a second glance and continued past them to sit beside Parvarti.

Harry glanced down the table at her and then turned back to cock an eyebrow at Ron. "Trouble in paradise, Ronniekins?"

Hermione jabbed him disapprovingly with her elbow.

Ron scowled at him but then returned to looking slightly dejected. "She's upset with me that I laughed at Seamus in class today. Thinks it's an indication what 'sort of man I am'."

Hermione raised an eyebrow slightly. "Man, is it?"

Ron scowled once again. "Her words Hermione, not mine. And yes… I'm of age now, aren't I?"

"I suppose so." Hermione glanced down and suppressed a small smile.

"Anyhow, it'll be a while before we're speaking again, I think; at least until Parvarti stops trying to jinx Seamus. So we've all the privacy we need."

"Good," said Hermione rather sternly. "Then let's get started, shall we? Before I start jinxing you two."

Harry held up a hand. "All right, all right. After Divination today, Trelawny called Ron and I back into the classroom for a while. Said she had something to discuss with us."

"Professor Lupin did say you and Ron had been excused from Advanced DADA today," said Hermione rather breathlessly. "Go on."

Harry took a quick bite of his food and continued. "Told us of another vision she'd had. While she slept last night she saw a bunch of words and some shapes."

Ron nodded and Hermione practically bounced in her seat for more information. "What sort of shapes?"

"Tr'angw…cucwe quuhted," said Ron around the huge mouthful of pudding he'd just stuffed in. "S'm fing w'v sheen…"

Hermione screwed up her face in disgust at him. "Ugh, Ron. Try again."

Ron swallowed with effort. "Sorry…she saw a triangle and a quartered circle. Same as us."

Hermione bit her lip and took a small bite of food as an afterthought. "Hmm, interesting. And the premonition?"

"Oi, look!" Ron brightened proudly, shoving a hand into the back pocket of his pants. "Took your advice and wrote it down before we forgot!"

He pulled out a small piece of parchment and read the whole of it to her.

Hermione listened intently with her mouth slightly open until he was through and then snatched the parchment from him.

"Well…" she breathed, her eyes carefully scanning the words. "She really does divine at times, it seems."

Harry nodded. "That's how we thought. Still, there're a few things we're shaky on; like quite a bit of the last part. The 'one whose worth is not yet known gives his life for his own' completely stumps me…And what the circle represents, I'm not sure."

Hermione thought for a moment and lowered her fork, most of her food completely untouched. "I have a suspicion…but before I'm certain I'll need to research something…"

She began to stand.

Harry lowered his fork as well. " 'Mione, we can at least finish eating…"

"You and Ron go ahead," said Hermione, once again lapsing into one-track-mindedness. "I want to look this up while it's fresh in my mind…You can meet me at our common room later."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "All right."

He watched her go, and a few moments later, Lavender finished as well and sauntered toward he and Ron, flipping her blonde hair haughtily.

"Well…so you two've managed to drive away another woman, have you? What sort of piggish things have you found to laugh at now?"

Harry gawped at her in amusement and Ron threw his head back with a groan. "Oh for the love of Merlin, Lav. Let it go, will you?"

Lavender instantly scowled. "I will not, Ronald Weasley! It's horrible how you, Dean, and you for that matter," she narrowed her eyes at Harry, "started the whole class laughing at poor Parvarti! She thought Seamus really fancied her…"

Ron stared at her. "He does! He just fancies a few others as well!"

Lavender suddenly looked incensed. "What!? So you reckon this is all right, do you!?"

"Of course!" answered Ron incredulously. Harry groaned and slapped a hand over his eyes for a moment. Ron…stop now…just stop now…

"Better he play the field for a while and find the right one than settle just yet! What if he finds someone more suitable!? It wouldn't be fair to Parvarti either!"

"And the bracelet?" seethed Lavender.

Ron looked as if he'd completely lost the plot. "Don't you like jewellery?"

Lavender stood rigidly for a moment, completely dumbfounded at Ron's idiocy and then hissed quietly. "Ronald Weasley…you great, dumb clot…I don't know what I ever saw in you!"

She stomped away angrily, leaving half the Gryffindor table, who'd been watching with great amusement, snickering as she left. Dean howled out loud. Only Parvarti seemed unamused. Ron glanced round at them all with a completely gobsmacked look on his face.

"Gods Ron…" Harry closed his eyes and sighed wearily.

Ron jaw hung open. "What'd I do!?"

Harry groaned.

"WHAT!?"

(A/N: Bama loves Clueless!Ron. ;0)

******************************************************

Harry and Ron finished their dinner in an awkward silence. It didn't help that half of Gryffindor table were still snickering and covertly discussing Ron's situation with Lavender. Harry spent the better part of the way back to his and Hermione's dorms trying to pound common sense into Ron's thick skull.

"…so since Seamus had given it to every other girl he'd wanted to make it with, it wasn't a gift at all, you see?" said Harry, putting a different perspective on a situation he'd already tried to explain to Ron more than three times so far.

"But he gave her jewellery mate," said Ron blatantly as if Harry was somewhat naive. "I mean he wouldn't have given her anything at all if she weren't something to him, right?"

They'd reached the portrait door, and Harry found himself wishing Sir Cadogen would ride up and hack him to death with his tiny sword. How in Merlin's name was Ron so utterly clueless?

Harry sighed deeply. "Ron…let's let Hermione try and explain it to you, all right? Dragon's lair." The portrait opened automatically owing to the absence of the tiny knight.

Ron followed him in muttering under his breath. "…nothing to bloody explain…got a good grasp on things, I think…"

Harry rolled his eyes, and at that moment, Hermione walked out from her room with her nose in a book, muttering to herself in much the same way. She nearly bumped headlong into Harry before she realised the two of them had entered. He caught her by the arms before she nose-dived into the floor. She looked suddenly flustered.

"Oh! You're back then, are you?"

Harry began to respond snarkily to her but she cut him off before he could. "Good. I've got loads to share with you two."

She and Harry took a seat next to Ron, who continued to look sulky at Harry's insinuation he needed help with members of the opposite sex. If she noticed anything untoward, Hermione ignored it magnificently.

"All right. So I went to Professor Dumbledore's office right on leaving here," said Hermione matter-of-factly.

Harry started at her. "Dumbledore's office? 'Mione, you didn't go to share anything with him, did you?"

This snapped her attention back to him. "If you'll remember Harry, Professor Dumbledore gave us his password to come talk to him anytime we wanted. We are Head boy and girl, after all. Personally I don't understand why you don't want to talk to him about any of this. He cares about you so much."

"Exactly why," said Harry with a sigh. Seeing Hermione's look, he finished quickly. "Not that I don't appreciate it mind you, it's just that I want to make decisions on my own if I can. I'm bloody seventeen Hermione. I don't need Dumbledore deciding to take any matters on my life into his own hands."

Ron finally spoke up. "And you don't think your dad is filling him in on everything you tell him…"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe so. But at least he's noticed it's not me doing it. If I need his help or advice, I'll ask for it. I think he knows that."

Hermione smiled. "Well if I know Professor Dumbledore at all, he's right glad your talking to your father about things. He'd much rather it be Lupin you're confiding in than himself, I'm sure."

Harry stiffened just a bit. The subject of him coming to his father for advice usually made him bristle, though he wasn't quite sure what it was about it that made him feel so. The only thing he could deduce was that he'd always had to take care of himself, and he couldn't imagine delegating that task to a man that had been absent his whole life, however out of the ordinary the circumstances were. True, he had shared some things with James, but to be truthful to himself, he would've felt more comfortable sharing them with Sirius. If it weren't for the bloody ministry watching every floo network like hawks, even the ones at Hogwarts, he would've done by now. But there was no way he was going to risk Sirius getting caught.

Hermione noticed his change in demeanour immediately. "Oh Harry, I'm sorry… I know how difficult it's been for you to share things with him. I didn't mean to…"

Harry put a hand to her face. "No, it's all right. No worries."

A short silence filled the room before Ron broke the awkwardness. "So what'd Dumbledore have to say?"

Hermione seized on the change of subject, and sensed Harry was grateful for it as well. "I didn't exactly go there to see him. He wasn't there anyway. I went to speak to the sorting hat."

Ron sat up quickly. "The sorting hat? As in have a conversation with it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes Ron. It can talk if you'll recall."

"Yeah but I didn't know it could actually carry on a discussion with you!" said Ron dumbfounded. "I thought all it was good for was sorting and coming up with a new song every year."

Hermione sighed deeply as if once again she found a friendship with two boys to be very taxing. "Once again Ron, I'd like to stress that if you'd ONLY READ Hogwarts: A History, you would never have to ask me such ridiculous questions again…"

"All right!" said Ron exasperated, holding up a hand. "Nevermind…it's not worth it! Just go on."

Harry grinned covertly at the two of them as she continued. "Well…what Trelawny said, about the quartered circle… I had an idea what it could mean but I wasn't certain until I asked the sorting hat to sing for me again the song it did in our fifth year."

"You actually remember that song?" asked Harry, impressed.

"I remembered it enough that it seemed to apply to this," said Hermione, holding up the scrap of parchment with Trelawny's prediction written in Ron's untidy, loopy scrawl. "However, I couldn't remember it entirely. I had the hat sing it for me again. Once it was through and I told it the part about the circle, it seemed to agree with me."

"It agreed with you!?" asked Ron incredulously. "As if the bloody thing's alive?"

Hermione sighed in aggravation. "Merlin Ron, what'd I just say…"

Harry groaned despite himself. "For the love of Quidditch just go on. Ron shut it, will you?"

Ron shot him a filthy look but allowed Hermione to continue.

"So the prediction states: 'Then must the circle, in fourths, undone, reunite to form as one. For division brought about the bane, a purge of lines, the innocent slain. All must join, in heart and hand, for the divided fall, but the united stand'." Quoted Hermione.

"Now, what can we think of that's been divided into fourths? Something that has sometimes brought about strife because of it?"

Harry and Ron thought for a few moments before Harry finally spoke.

"The only thing I can think that might pertain is the four houses in Hogwarts. We know in the beginning the four houses got along fine…and then some conflicts came about because of the division."

"Too right!" exclaimed Hermione breathlessly. "Which is why I wanted the sorting hat to sing over its song from fifth year. I did a recollection spell so we could hear it in its entirety again but I think I'll just forward to the relevant parts."

Ron seemed relieved and let out a sigh he hadn't meant Hermione to hear. She fixed him with an exasperated glare before deciding to ignore him. Holding her wand upright and turning it counter-clockwise twice, she then flicked the wand toward the wall above the mantle of the fireplace.

"Resonomelos Sorting Hat, fifth year!"

The bit of wall above the fireplace suddenly gave off a gentle purple radiance before words began etching themselves out in an ancient scrawl. An echoing melody began to filter through the dim room, and Harry and Ron leaned forward on their knees staring intently at the wall, at once recognising the old scratchy voice of the sorting hat. It hadn't come up with a new song since fifth year.

"In times of old when I was new and Hogwarts barely started

The founders of our noble school thought never to be parted.

United by a common goal they had the selfsame yearning,

To make the world's best magic school and pass along their learning…"

"All right, I'll forward to the parts we need especially to hear," said Hermione, raising her wand once more. She began this time to twirl it clock-wise, and the song sped up almost comically, the words a blur as they appeared astonishingly fast on the wall, and the voice becoming at once high-pitched and very fast paced. But while Harry and Ron might've normally found this funny, there was no humour in it for them this night, only a desire to pay close attention. The song began explaining to them certain parts of Trelawny's prophecy they had previously been unsure about.

Hermione lowered her wand and the song slowed to normal pace once more.

"…So how could it have gone so wrong?

How could such friendships fail?

Why, I was there and so can tell

The whole sad, sorry tale.

Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those

Whose ancestry is purest."

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose

Intelligence is surest."

Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those

With brave deeds to their name."

Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,

And treat them just the same."

For each house's name said, Harry held up one finger. Hermione paused the song as he turned to her and Ron holding up four.

"Hogwarts divided into four houses. A circle, separated into four parts. And what represents wholeness more than a circle? There's no angles to ford off sharply like with a square or rectangle. What other shape describes unity as well as it?"

Both Ron and Hermione nodded, and Hermione forwarded the song a bit again, slowing it until it came to another desirable part.

"…So Hogwarts worked in harmony

For several happy years,

But then discord crept among us

Feeding on our faults and fears.

The Houses that, like pillars four,

Had once held up our school,

Now turned upon each other and,

Divided, sought to rule.

And for a while it seemed the school

Must meet an early end,

What with duelling and with fighting

And the clash of friend on friend

And at last there came a morning

When Slytherin departed

And though the fighting then died out

He left us quite downhearted.

And never since the founders four

Were whittled down to three

Have the Houses been united

As they once were meant to be…"

"Notice," said Hermione as she paused the song once again, "When Slytherin left the fighting died off. Maybe Salazar was the one making certain the school stayed in discord and divided."

"It seems he did his job well too," said Harry thoughtfully. "Even after he left, the damage had been done, hadn't it? The school never reunited as it was meant to, did it?"

Ron gave a low whistle of surprise. "I never knew the sorting hat would be so important…"

Hermione chose to leave the comment alone and continue the song where it left off.

"And now the Sorting Hat is here

And you all know the score:

I sort you into Houses

Because that is what I'm for,

But this year I'll go further,

Listen closely to my song:

Though condemned I am to split you

Still I worry that it's wrong,

Though I must fulfill my duty

And must quarter every year

Still I wonder whether sorting

May not bring the end I fear.

Oh, know the perils, read the signs,

The warning history shows,

For our Hogwarts is in danger

From external, deadly foes

And we must unite inside her

Or we'll crumble from within

I have told you, I have warned you....

Let the Sorting now begin."

"Know the perils, read the signs; the warning history shows. For our Hogwarts is in danger from external, deadly foes," repeated Ron with wide eyes as the song ended. The direness of it all was beginning to hit him full force. Hermione 'scourgified' the song from the wall, and the room was plunged into silence and the dim orange glow from the fireplace once more.

"Voldemort could be the prediction's 'bane'," Ron spoke into the new silence of the room. "He always did want to purge the school, didn't he? He started to with Moaning Myrtle. That certainly could be a warning from history, couldn't it?"

"He especially wanted it 'cleansed' when it came to his own house," added Hermione quietly.

Ron suddenly sat bolt upright, his face draining of colour. "The purge of lines…Harry, now he knows you're a Slytherin too, there's nothing more he wants than to get rid of you and the other offshoot of Slytherins' line you represent. The one that should have never been, right mate?"

Harry looked stunned for a moment. "I never thought of it that way before, but if he got rid of me, the last heir of Aberdeen's affair, or the last he knows of, his 'line would be purged', wouldn't it? And…"

Hermione spoke up in almost a whisper. "The innocent slain…Voldemort also wants only pure-blooded wizards involved in our world. In fact, he only wants pure-bloods, I believe. The first thing he'd do when able was to rid the world of Muggles and half-bloods." She clasped her hands very tightly in her lap and shuddered despite herself.

Harry saw her gazing down in fear and took one of her hands, while his other came up to clasp her chin and force her eyes to his. His determined gaze burned into hers, and his eyes held a cold, deadly resolve. "He's never going to touch you, you hear me Hermione? I won't let him near you. I'll kill him first."

Something began to happen, something that had never happened before. Harry's whole body began to glow in much the same way Hermione's hand had when healing Malfoy's injuries. He seemed unaware at the moment it was happening, but his eyes burned with an almost neon green fire, and the whole of his body began emanating a luminescent sapphire blue. It shimmered and wavered around him like an enormous halo and burned brighter and brighter the longer his gaze locked with hers. Hermione felt a fluttering in her chest so concentrated that it was almost painful. She'd only once before seen that look on his face, one that might send even the fiercest of enemies scurrying for shelter. It was when he'd faced Voldemort in the Kavan Forest last year. But there hadn't been the eerie bright blue glow, and the palpable, metallic taste and smell that seemed to be hovering about him. Even without ever experiencing anything like it before, Hermione was sure of what it was. It was power. Great, unharnessed, pulsing, throbbing power, like a rogue lightning bolt from an electrical storm. She could almost feel the hairs on her body standing. Harry's gaze burned with a fire that almost scared her breathless.

"H..Harry," was all she could sputter out.

Ron for his part seemed frozen in place. He was staring at Harry as if he'd never seen him before. "Mate…are you all right?"

The two voices seemed to bring Harry down, and the aura around him suddenly dissipated with an audible SNAP.

Harry lowered his brows at Ron and released Hermione's hand. "What? Why'd you ask? 'Course I am. I'm just not going to let Voldemort get to Hermione; or you mate…No matter what…whatever it takes…"

He'd finished the latter part of his sentence as if speaking only to himself, and Hermione suddenly felt a sharp bolt of fear stab at her chest. It would be just like Harry to recklessly sacrifice himself if he thought it would save her or Ron…

"What'd you mean by that!?" Her voice came out like a breath, and she instinctively gripped at his sleeve. "What'd you mean 'whatever it takes'!?" A pulsing panic began to tighten the walls of her chest and she felt the sudden urge to grab onto Harry like a vice and never let him go.

Even Ron seemed to have balked at Harry's last statement and spoke up roughly. "Don't say things like that mate. We're all in this together remember? Have done since the beginning. Don't you ever forget that."

Harry immediately lightened and shook his head. "I wasn't…I didn't mean to scare you two. I just…if he ever…ever tried to… Let's just concentrate on Trelawny's prediction, all right? One thing at a time."

Ron nodded, at once settling to the task at hand with Harry following, but Hermione merely watched the two talk for a moment, her focus solely on Harry. For some reason the sense of foreboding would not go away. If Harry had a fault that stuck out in her mind, it was that he was reckless when it came to his friends. And now more than ever, the threat that he might somehow be forced, in his own mind, to take certain burdens on himself to spare others, loomed before her like terror made physical and solid, a fear she could almost reach out and grab hold of. If she somehow lost him, Hermione was certain she would somehow live on, though hollow and empty. But the question had never been that. The question had been, if Harry was lost to her, would life be worth the living?

Her eyes traced his face, somehow boyish and manly all at the same time. His dark messy hair waved all over his head, and the absurdly long lashes were tipped with gold from the fire glow. She watched the dimple mar his left cheek as he smirked at something Ron said, watched his form as he leaned forward on his knees and snuck a glance at her, seeing her and waiting for a reassuring glance back. She gave him one, but though he saw it, he couldn't see the heartbreak that lay within. Voldemort's threat had somehow become more real for her in the span of only a few moments.

Oh Harry, could I live on if you didn't? Her body would remain, of that she was certain; but her heart and soul would forever be clutched in his hand.

Harry turned to smile grimly at her, and a physical pain stabbed her chest.

"Hermione? Come join us, will you? We need you on this too…"

As she moved over closer to them both, Hermione realised that the subject had changed to Parvarti and the bracelet. Thank Merlin for Ron, she thought with a small smile. Sometimes he brought about a much needed lightness and humour. But as she concentrated on helping him understand the female mind, (although she rather thought it was common sense) she was also supremely aware that a new heavier fear had saddled her heart.

***************************************************

Nine o'clock came round more suddenly than Harry had expected, and he, Hermione and Ron, after Hermione's overly simplified explanation of the bracelet fiasco, had still failed to figure out a few parts of the prophecy. But, he figured, there were some things one wouldn't figure out until they came to pass, weren't there?

He and Ron left Hermione still doggedly poring over books of prophecy in an attempt to find out more, and when they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry left Ron as well, with Ron fervently promising that he now understood why Parvarti felt the way she did, and that he was going to make things right with Lavender straight away.

"That is if I don't screw it up by making another dumb-arse comment," said Ron frustratedly. "I just never know when one's coming."

Harry knew he'd meant he never knew when something he said was inappropriate, but he laughed at Ron's wording all the same, until Ron punched him hard in the arm. They tussled good-naturedly outside the common room for a few moments before he swore at himself for the time and ran to make it to Lupin's private quarters, leaving Ron with a matching bruise on his arm.

As he sauntered along with hands jammed into the pockets of his robes, Harry mused about the fact that he was still nervous, after four months or so of knowing James, to have one-on-one conversations with him. He hated the awkwardness of always being hyper-aware of every word his father said; looking for clues that weren't necessarily there, or hidden agenda's in his father's advice. He supposed it would be hard for him to ever fully trust him, and yet, here he was headed toward his room to talk things over with him. How he wished he could talk with Sirius as well…

Once there, Harry rapped lightly on the door. He heard a muffled 'come in' and entered the room, closing the door lightly behind him.

James was seated somewhat rigidly near the fireplace in his small room, with an extra plush chair next to him, obviously for Harry. His father smiled and motioned for Harry to join him, but before he did, Harry took a few moments to survey James' living quarters.

It was basically one large room, with half-partition walls separating the bathroom from small kitchen, to living area, to small bedroom. The living area consisted only of two plush golden coloured chairs, large shag-like deep red carpeting thrown over the stone floor, a couple of bookcases, and a polished wooden mantle over a large fireplace.

As Harry made his way toward James, he noticed loads of pictures on the mantle. To his surprise, his parents had mapped out every bit of his short life with them. A picture of a red, wrinkled new-born with a shock of black hair, in the midst of a silent fit of screaming stood in the middle, titled: Harry James Potter, 31 July 1980. In another, Harry was seated in a high-chair with a face full of cake that he had obviously smeared up into his hair. Lily, with James arm round her, was in the background having a hearty laugh at him. There was a "1" candle lit on top of the rest of the cake, and Harry couldn't help but wonder how long after this happy event Voldemort had attacked. More pictures stared at him from worn frames. Harry swinging in between his grinning parents hands, obviously in some park. Harry perched atop his father's shoulders, grabbing onto the shock of dark hair so much like his own for dear life. Lily holding baby Harry and grinning into his face as Harry laughed back. James with little Harry perched in front of him on a Shooting Star (must've been a top model broom then), his father grinning wildly and ruffling Harry's hair much like he used to do his own. Pictures of James and Lily themselves graced the mantle as well. Dancing pictures where they looked so in love, pictures of them at school, wedding pictures. There were even pictures of James along with the rest of the Marauders, grinning and acting like idiots, and Harry felt his mind swirling with the thought that he must now, in his own mind, switch the face of the James in the picture with Lupin.

Somehow, although Harry knew it shouldn't have, the sight of the pictures came as quite a shock to him. He supposed it had to do with the fact that it was just one more reminder of how unwanted he'd felt his whole life, and how wrong he'd been.

Harry finally turned to look at his father, who had been silent the entire time, and saw the ghost of a sad tight smile on his face. As Harry sat, Lupin tried to change the mood a bit.

"Well, it's not much compared to the Gryffindor common room, I'm sure," said Lupin with a small, nervous laugh. "But I assure you it's a palace compared to some of the other places I've lived."

Harry nodded, still not quite trusting himself to speak just yet, but Lupin spoke first anyway.

"Harry…I…thought…I thought it might well be time to invite someone else in on our conversations."

Harry frowned. Lupin sounded as if he were dreading something, and for the life of him, Harry couldn't deduce what it was.

"All right," he drawled out slowly, eyeing him. "Who?"

Lupin spoke after a beat of hesitation. "Sirius."

Harry instantly brightened and sat straight up. "You're wh…I mean really!? But what about the Ministry? Dumbledore's been pounding it in my head they're watching the floo networks here like hawks, especially now they know I've been in contact with him before…"

Lupin felt a twinge of jealousy run through him at Harry's obvious excitement and raised a hand to stop him. Harry fell silent. "I've worked it out with Dumbledore. The Ministry was certainly not able to bug every single floo network here. There're hundreds of hearths in Hogwarts set to it, and mine happens to be one of them. This room was vacant for years before Dumbledore gave me use of it so they had no need of watching over it. He's conveniently forgotten to inform the Ministry it's now being occupied."

Harry instantly felt a little more forgiving toward the Headmaster. "So have you been in contact with him this whole time!? Why haven't you let me know!? I've wanted to talk to him for ages…"

"Actually Harry, I haven't," said Lupin quietly. "I…I haven't been in contact with Sirius for some months now…almost four, to be exact."

Harry narrowed his eyes at his father until a look of stunned comprehension began to dawn on his face. "Don't tell me…don't you tell me Sirius doesn't know…"

Lupin sat very straight in his chair, his eyes not quite meeting Harry's. "He doesn't."

Harry felt as if he'd been punched. "How could he possibly not know!? You and he were best mates in school! If anyone would know the difference between Remus Lupin and James Potter it would be him!"

"You're absolutely right," said James, nodding along with his son's words. "And if he had found out, Harry…If Sirius were suddenly to find out his best friend was still alive, how do you think he'd react?"

Harry's reply was instant. "He'd have come after you! He'd have wanted to be with you, help you find Peter Pettigrew, fight your fights, help you with me… with.. Voldemort…" he trailed off, and understood.

"Yes…he would have," answered James slowly. "And that's why, every time he found out and confronted me with it, how much I spoke like James, how much my mannerisms copied James, I had to make him forget. For his own good I had to make him forget, to keep him out of sight and away from the Ministry's bloody watchful eyes."

Harry's mouth dropped open. "You obliviated him."

Lupin nodded sadly. "It's been lonely without him. I can't tell you how many times I was tempted just to let him be. To let him find out I was still alive…but I couldn't put him in that type of danger. Knowing Padfoot, he never would've left my side after that. I couldn't do that to him…or to you. I wanted nothing to tip off the fact I was..am your father."

And the very next question that popped into Harry's thoughts was one he knew, even in the utter chaos and confusion of finding out who Lupin really was, he should've thought to ask long, long ago. Immediately Harry felt every muscle in his body knot with tension. If James had been alive this whole time…

"And what about the twelve years Sirius spent in Azkaban," Harry seethed dangerously, now perching as if ready to spring from his seat. "You've known all along it wasn't him that killed those Muggles that day in the street. That Peter Pettigrew survived that attack; that he did it himself…"

"Wait Harry, let me explain," said James immediately.

Harry's breathing was very shallow and he seemed on the point of violence, but he sat himself back in the chair, his piercing gaze never leaving his father's. "All right, I'm listening."

Lupin closed his eyes for a moment, painful memories resurfacing to tug painfully inside his chest. He swallowed down the lump that had risen so suddenly and began to tell the story.

"After Lily and Remus were killed and you were taken to the Dursley's, I immediately went into hiding in the Muggle world for a while. Dumbledore was my only source of news, so suffice it to say, I didn't get much that often as neither of us wanted the neighbours getting suspicious, or Voldemort and his followers for that matter. But Dumbledore did deem it important information for me to know the day Sirius was framed for the murder of the twelve Muggles and supposedly Pettigrew. I met Hagrid in Diagon Alley the next day, and he took me straight to Hogwarts where Dumbledore and I argued for the better part of the next week over what to do. Of course, I wanted to testify on his behalf as Remus Lupin, but Albus informed me Fudge had already believed him guilty, and had sent him straight to Azkaban without a trial."

"Sirius never got a trial?" asked Harry incredulously. "Why?"

"Because even back then Lucius Malfoy had Fudge in his wealthy back pocket. And I believe Lucius was already on Voldemort's side. Having heard James Potter's infant son defeated the most 'powerful wizard in the world', I think nothing pleased Malfoy or Voldemort more than to see James' best friend headed to Azkaban for murder. And with the very wizard supposedly murdered helping Malfoy out with details…well."

Harry took in the information and filed it away with what he already knew. "So Sirius went to Azkaban. Why didn't you and Dumbledore fight to get him out? He would've done for you if the situations were reversed. I know he would've."

Lupin sighed downheartedly. "You and he've become quite close, haven't you?"

Harry set his jaw and spoke in low tones. "He's the closest thing to a father I've had for a very long time. Yes, we have."

Lupin felt the impact of his son's words like a blow to the chest, but steeled himself against it anyway. What else could he have expected? And if it couldn't be himself acting as Harry's father this whole time, there was no one else he would've picked over Sirius, was there?. Yet, it was still painful to see how Sirius had virtually replaced James in Harry's life.

"You haven't answered my question," said Harry bluntly. "Why didn't you and Dumbledore fight to get Sirius released..."

"We did Harry," said James quite sadly. He clawed a hand frustratedly through Lupin's straight brown hair. "We fought Fudge for twelve long years trying to get him out until we'd exhausted every witness and resource we had. If you'll remember, before Sirius broke out of Azkaban, there hadn't been a breakout for some odd fifty years. How do you think he was finally able to get free?"

Harry hadn't considered this before, and he now thought rather stupidly of himself for it. Lupin answered the question for him.

"Still have my old invisibility cloak?"

Harry blinked hard and shot his gaze back to his fathers. "No…that doesn't make sense! Sirius didn't have the cloak then, I did. Still do."

"You think that's the only one in existence?" said Lupin almost dully, as if the memory of the past was beginning to wear him down. "True they are rare. More rare than you could possibly imagine. The wards around Azkaban are so strong, there is absolutely no penetrating it from the outside. Dumbledore and I had one of his operatives hiding out close to there almost every week for years and years trying out some new spell or incantation to break in. Nothing ever worked. Until we found out Sirius was still lucid enough to receive and read the Prophet from his cell. I hadn't thought it possible that he still had that much of his mind about him, but he did. To this day, I still don't know how he managed it. In any case, that's when I began to realise that if we could somehow slip in something for him to use, he was possibly cognisant enough to break himself out. We planned for months, and finally devised the only way to get it in to him. We had one of Dumbledore's own people sent away."

"To Azkaban?" asked a baffled Harry.

"Yes," said Lupin. "Only we had a loyal Ministry official from the inside, not one of Fudge's own men escort him in. I would've done myself but Dumbledore thought it would look too suspicious, besides the fact I didn't need to be seen. Anyhow, he hid with him an invisibility cloak we'd nicked from the Department of Magical Artifacts. It took months of torment before Dumbledore's man and Sirius were able to escape; at which time during the waiting, Dumbledore hired me on here at Hogwarts as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Mainly because Hogwarts needed one and I was well versed in it having been in the Order of the Phoenix myself, but also to await Sirius' escape."

Harry was dumbfounded. "I'm…this is a bit much to take in all at once…on top of everything else," he finished somewhat sourly.

Lupin closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "I understand…Now you have to understand something. Sirius knows of everything I've just told you, down to the very last detail..except for one thing."

Harry glanced up at him. "Who you really are."

James nodded slowly, the weight of such a heavy burden for so many years etched permanently in the lines on his face. "And now that you know, it's time he knows too."

"What about what you just said though?" asked Harry, leaning forward on his knees. "What about the fact he won't be able to keep himself from wanting to help us?"

"I've thought that over a lot myself Harry," said James with a wry smile. "And here's the conclusion Dumbledore and I've come up with. The final war with Voldemort is approaching so fast we aren't even assured tomorrow. And when that day comes, I want Sirius standing with us; Ministry be damned. I know he'd want the same thing. Remus and Lily are dead because of that bastard Harry. And I know once the battle is over, new lines will be drawn and old lies will be brought to light. I believe he will be exonerated anyway. Especially if Dumbledore takes over Fudge's position. And he will, either way the battle falls. No wizard or witch in their right minds will want Fudge back in power when they find out how long he's been trying to deceive them."

Harry nodded slowly. "So you think Dumbledore'll let him fight, do you?"

Lupin set his mouth into a grim line. "I think once the war finally does start there'll be no way he can stop him. Whether or not Sirius ever found out I was really James, he'd still be involved in this war. After Sirius denounced the Blacks, Lily and I were all he had. Do you see? Voldemort took away part of his family, just the same as he took mine."

Harry nodded his head heavily, the realisation that the lines in the sand were being drawn and the stage for war was being set weighing down so oppressively on his shoulders, that all he could think of was how much he wanted to get back to his and Hermione's common room and hide away with her again for the night. But he needed to see Sirius as well; needed to be there for him when he found out who Lupin really was; and needed to be there when he came apart. Because he would just as certainly as Harry had, he mused grimly. And as certainly as James was family, so was Sirius, almost more so. He just hoped when the revelation came Sirius would be able to withstand it.

********************************************************